Beware the Great Horned Serpent: Insurgencies in Chiapa in 1812 and Chiapas, 1994

Abstract

In 1812 the Regency of Cadiz sent a proclamation to the colonists urging their loyalty in the war with Napoleon, and advising them of the benefits they would receive under the new Constitution. Reflecting the liberalism of the deputees to the Cortes, this is apparently the only Spanish edict ever sent with instructions that it be translated and published in native languages. The proclamations high regard for Indians contrasted sharply with their position in the New World, where a few enlightened colonists struggled against the racist power of Church and State. An anonymous friars Tzotzil-Tzeltal translation, filled with native metaphor, converted this political document into a plea for morality. It is not known whether its words were ever heard by the Indians. There are surprising parallels between economic, social, political, and religious situations, in Chiapas in 1812 and 1994; magical metaphor is still very much alive.